


A Simple Party

by mrpicard



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies)
Genre: Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, M/M, Party, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Teenage Drama, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 15:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12235599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpicard/pseuds/mrpicard
Summary: Teenagers can be exhausting.





	A Simple Party

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet is based on a question by my friend Gordon, who wanted to know what Laurent was like as a teenager. It is set between the second and third parts of my [In These Arms Epilogue](http://archiveofourown.org/series/673964).

**_LaBarre, France_ **

**_Earth_ **

 

 

 

"Come on, Papa Jean-Luc! It's just a party!"

"Yes, but it starts at midnight _and_ it takes place at a strip club in Montbéliard's red light district."

"But it's the summer holidays - I won't have to get up early the next day!"

"You know as well as I do that the timeframe is not the biggest issue here," Picard said patiently. "It is simply inappropriate for you to go to a strip club - you are only 15 years old."

"But all my friends will be there!"

"Who, exactly?"

"Frédéric invited me!"

"Frédéric is 18 and should know better than to invite a 15-year-old to such a party," Alex chimed in from behind.

Laurent looked at him. "I thought at least _you_ would understand, Papa Alex - you worked in a strip club bar for years before you came to the Enterprise!"

"That bar did not allow anyone under 18 inside either, and for good reasons," Alex retorted. "This, by the way, is why I agree with your Papa Jean-Luc on this one."

Laurent clenched his hands into fists. "You're being so incredibly unfair to me - and you're ruining my friendship with Frédéric!"

"A true friendship won't be ruined by the fact that you can't attend a party," Picard remarked.

"Oh, fuck that!"

" _Laurent_!"

The teenager glared at his parents - and then he turned around, ran into his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Alex looked at Picard. "You think we're being too hard on him?"

Picard shook his head. "Absolutely not - we cannot let our 15 year old son go to an adult-themed strip club party."

"It just seems so cruel to forbid him to go," Alex sighed and sat down on the couch. "We've never done that before."

"That is because none of the parties we previously allowed him to go to during his school holidays were anywhere near a red light district," Picard said. "If you ask me, he probably suspected we'd say no and was simply testing our limits."

"Typical teenage behavior, huh?"

"Yes. He'll grow out of it."

"I hope so - I really hate it when we have to argue with him."

"I'm not fond of it either, but we _do_ have to draw a line here."

"I know, but he's been looking forward to spending his school holidays with his friends on Earth for weeks, and now we're confining him to his room on a vineyard in the middle of nowhere."

"We're doing no such thing - and besides, there will be other parties for him to go to."

"I guess deep down inside I'm just a little more on his side than I care to be," Alex muttered.

Picard smiled. "Must be your own wild strip club past."

Alex chuckled. "Probably."


End file.
